Independent Christian Science articles

Excerpt on Teeth

from Sermons and Articles by

We heard a very interesting story the other day from a fine Scientist, a friend of ours. He saw an old friend after many, many years and was led to remark on what beautiful teeth she had. He’d never noticed them before. And she said, “Well, that’s an interesting story; and I’d like to tell you what happened to me.” She said she’d been having trouble with her teeth and had gone to a dentist. He said, “All your teeth are discolored and decayed, and they need to come out at once.” And she said, “Well, I don’t want to do anything about it right now. I will contact you later.” And she took this problem to God. She refused to let her thought be misdirected by materia medica calling itself dentistry. And she decided that she was going to see the perfect man everywhere. She found a beautiful verse in Song of Solomon which said in essence, “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep; none of them barren; all perfect.” She began to study Mrs. Eddy’s writings; and she found an interesting fact: That two words were always coupled in Mrs. Eddy’s writings. These words were “discord” and “decay.” As she thought more deeply on it, she realized she needed to go back into her experience, and see that there had never been discord from the moment she appeared on this planet. She needed to wipe out the belief that any discordant situation had ever taken place in her life. And so she did. She worked at this for many months, beholding the perfect child of God everywhere she went, making sure she didn’t see anybody unloving, impatient, sick, or hateful, refusing to let error misdirect her thought. After many months, she went back to the dentist. He examined her and said, “These are not the same teeth,” because they were perfect, bright, and beautiful. And they showed in her mouth as they never had before, and there was not one trace of decay.

Think about it: “Discord” and “decay” always coupled in our Leader’s writings. Go back in your thinking and make sure that you haven’t stored some picture of discord that may have seemed to happen to you in years past, that you aren’t keeping it around where it can spring up and bring forth a nasty picture, one that God never made, that God does not support; and therefore, that with a clear understanding of Him, can be destroyed.

“Evil Has No Local Habitation”

From Sermons and Articles by



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In Science and Health Mrs. Eddy states, “Evil has no local habitation nor name.” (p. 537) You can apply this statement to any situation that may arise. Evil has presented pictures to us all of some very inharmonious, disturbing situations. When you are tempted to be disturbed, remember, “Evil has no local habitation.” Evil can’t live anywhere. It can’t live in anybody’s house, and it can’t call itself by anyone’s name. “Evil has no local habitation.” Evil has no location in anyone’s chest. “No local habitation.” It has no habitation in anyone’s stomach, heart, head, or in any other organ of the body; in an arm, a leg, or a foot. “Evil has no local habitation.” This is a most wonderful treatment.

Evil has no name. It can’t call itself headache, can’t call itself flu, can’t call itself cancer, can’t call itself fear, disease, or trouble. It can’t call itself stupidity. There are no stupid mortals in God’s kingdom. This strong statement of truth wipes out evil’s lying claims. I’ve seen this statement bring healing in many cases.

It’s a tremendous truth. “Evil has no local habitation nor name.” Refuse to give error a name, refuse to give it a place. Evil is always the same thing, and the word for it is nothingness. If you approach evil that way, as nothing, it will not be able to do what it would like to do to you. Error is never up to anything good.

Science and Health goes on to say, “Error excludes itself from harmony.” (p. 537) Error is a liar. It can’t survive in a Truth-filled consciousness. It puts itself out. It is always a liar, and it will always destroy itself, if disbelieved.

And finally, Science and Health tells us that, “Sin is its own punishment.” (p. 537) We don’t have to punish anyone. If a person disobeys the law of love, he will punish himself. The law of divine justice is always operating. “Error excludes itself from harmony.” The punishment often comes quickly and many times very severely.

All there is to any suggestion that animal magnetism can put forth, is nothing! It is always nothing. Don’t believe it. You don’t have to have it. Why? Because God never made it, or authorized it. God never gave it power; therefore, it is powerless. How wonderful that we can walk over any unpleasant situation. We don’t have to be trapped in it.

If, however, we’re not being honest with ourselves, or with our fellow man, we’re giving evil a resting place. I think we’re too smart to do that. The Plainfield Church motto is: “Honesty is spiritual power.” (S&H p. 453) Let’s claim this power. Let’s live the power. Be honest with God. Never go behind closed doors in your thinking, or in your home, and have a double standard that you would not like your church brothers and sisters to see. Don’t make excuses for error. Don’t be nice to it. If it’s an error, it’s all wrong. “No local habitation.” It has no place in the thinking of a right-minded person.

Science and Health is eternally fresh. Fresh and new. You can find something in it that inspires you, and heals whatever may be trying to disturb you. Open your heart to God, and He will show you His perfect plan. Thank God that Christian Science does heal. It does work. It wipes out all evil, as we stand faithfully with the truths we’ve learned, and trust God’s love and willingness to care for us, His beloved children.

The Beatitudes

From Sermons and Articles by

The Beatitudes, given by Jesus, are a chart which leads us to God. “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Blessed are the humble, those who are willing to listen. To illustrate: a man went to Italy. He had been told that there was a great statue there, and it was very beautiful. He looked at it, studied it, and thought, “This doesn’t look like much. I can’t see where it’s beautiful at all.” Finally, a little boy came up to him and said, “Sir, if you step forward, kneel down, and look up, you will see.” So the man stepped forward (which means, he took the first step), he kneeled down (he was humble), and then he looked up into the most beautiful face he had ever seen! But he had to do it in the right way, so that he could appreciate the beautiful work of art that was before him. Blessed are those who are humble.

This is the first step in finding God.

“Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.” Blessed are those who recognize their sins and their failings, and repent them. Not glibly saying, “Everything is lovely,” when it isn’t. But going to God in their deepest hearts and saying, “Father, if I have disobeyed You, show me what I should do now.” And then, be receptive! We all have the same opportunity to listen to God. This is the second step forward in spiritual growth.

“Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” When you begin to get a slight grasp on Science, the next thing you may do, if you’re not careful, is to start stomping on your brother. You find fault and criticize, telling him that he hasn’t done this or that right. You know what this does? It absolutely stops your growth, and it breaks your brother’s heart. You can do great damage in that way. So don’t get a little inspiration, and let error cause you to think, “How great I am,” and begin to step on others. Instead, recognize how great God is, and keep your head held low in humility, seeking to bless, not preach at your brother.

A friend told me that when she found Christian Science she was most enthusiastic. Her husband’s relatives were Christian Scientists who lived in California. She went to visit them, and she said to me later, “I shudder at what I did. I was a new broom sweeping clean. I told them they were doing everything wrong. I didn’t even know what I was talking about. I must have been obnoxious!” When I met her, she was wonderful. She wasn’t the least bit obnoxious. But she’d learned her lesson, and never re­peated the mistake.

“Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” When you’ve come through the first three steps, and really begin to want the truth in your heart, Love opens the way. As you can see, there are several things that need to be done before it becomes your heart’s desire. And if it is your heart’s desire, you can’t be stopped. But you have to go through the first three steps, to discard the trash of human thinking, and rise into the glory of Godly thinking.

“Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.” Oh, as you progress become more kind, more loving, more caring. That’s what we’re learning here. There’s no way, but through love and caring, to spread the Word of God.

My mother and father practiced Christian Science in a large New York church. In the beginning, when I was a child, I saw great caring in the church. And slowly as time passed, that began to disappear. As it did, that great church diminished. It was a great and beautiful church. It diminished until it closed. It had four hundred children in its Sunday School when I was there. It closed in 1972. And when it did, no one was left. The members forgot to care and they lost their church. Keep mercy in your hearts. Don’t judge. Stay kind. Stay loving. Don’t gossip. Don’t enter into unkind conversation about anyone, in anyway. This is the worst stumbling block there can be, criticizing and judging your brother. We’ve seen the mistakes that can be made; and we’re going to be wise enough to learn and profit from them, and know, that in reality, those mis­takes were no part of any child of God, or of any church anywhere.

“Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.” Jesus was speaking from his own experience. Blessed are those who hold nothing back from God. This can’t be discussed with others. It’s something between you and God and must work within your heart. It can’t work if you’re discussing it with others. It can only work in the silence of a heart earnestly communing with God. Blessed are those who hold nothing back, who have a pure heart and say, “God, here I am. I love You, and I will obey You always.” “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” When the first six Beatitudes have been put into practice, one can’t help bringing peace to everyone he deals with. And then comes the next step, and Jesus knew it so well, “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.” We had reviling and persecution for ten years; but we kept on loving, and doing right. We kept on obeying God. Every move we made was made with God. And these moves resulted in the unprecedented winning of a law case in a way that has never been done before, because no one had won a case against the Boston hierarchy. And it was done with love. It was done for the freedom of every Christian Scientist.

And finally, “Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.” And so, let us rejoice. The battle always has been the Lord’s. He has fought for us. And Love has won! Thank you, God, for Your glorious Truth that always protects and cares for its own.

The Nature of Illusion

From Sermons and Articles by

A Sermon Given in the Plainfield Church February 15, 1987

Good morning, loved children of God.

There was something very interesting the other day on television, concerning the nature of illusion, the nature of misdirection; how human thought can be misdirected to think it sees what it does not see. A famous magician named Blackstone performed a trick for twenty years that no one was ever able to figure out. The trick was this: The magician appeared on a stage before a thousand people, and began to pull handkerchiefs out of a tube. After a time, a young lady stepped out of this tube. He continued the performance, removed more handkerchiefs from the tube, and a donkey appeared. For twenty years he fooled people with this illusion. And when he retired, he was willing to tell how he had done it. He said, “It was clearly a case of misdirection” (which is what magic is all about, and also what animal magnetism is all about). While he was pulling the colorful handkerchiefs out of the tube, people were much engrossed. And when the young woman appeared, they were very engrossed. And while that audience of a thousand was watching him do this, he quietly took two steps into the wings, brought out the donkey that was waiting, covered it with colored kerchiefs, and brought it out to the front of the stage; and no one saw him do it. For twenty years, no one ever saw it, because they had been misdirected to be watching what wasn’t the main event.

Pretty good lesson for the metaphysician, isn’t it? We have been misdirected by mortal mind to watch a human body, or a human pocketbook, or a human business situation; and to be so wrapped up in that, that we don’t see that right where the problem seems to be, there the Lord God Almighty is in full power and presence, and complete willingness to care for His creation. What a good lesson! If you’re ever tempted to get so wrapped up, and obsessed by a problem, declare that you will not have your thinking misdirected by the devil, so that you are not able to see the tremendous good and harmony that are right there with you, ready to operate in your behalf.

The Bible says, “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” In all thy ways. Do we, as we go about our affairs, see that God is present in every situation? If we’re in a triumphant state of mind, the temptation is to think, “Well, I don’t really need Him now; I’ll wait until later.” And if we’re in a defeated state of mind, the temptation is, “I’m sunk so low that He wouldn’t even hear me, so what’s the use?” That’s the way error always works, to get you to lean on this feeble thing called your own understanding, which is misdirected thought; and it will keep you in the realm of illusion, accepting what isn’t good, until you finally rouse yourself and realize that you can call upon a God so great, so glorious, so kind and merciful, and have His power operate in your behalf to wake you from the hypnotized state that animal magnetism would try to put you in.

The Bible tells us, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, and He delighteth in his way.” God delights in us. God is delighting in every one, watching over, caring for, protecting us. This kind, good, loving God answers prayer and cares for all His creation. There’s nothing in this universe that is outside of God’s love and care. There is no unhealable disease. There is no unforgivable sin. There is no impossible situation. God never said that; and therefore, we do not need to be misdirected into believing what could not possibly be true. The hogwash of the devil is unacceptable to the man who walks with God.

We heard a very interesting story the other day from a fine Scientist, a friend of ours. He saw an old friend after many, many years and was led to remark on what beautiful teeth she had. He’d never noticed them before. And she said, “Well, that’s an interesting story; and I’d like to tell you what happened to me.” She said she’d been having trouble with her teeth and had gone to a dentist. He said, “All your teeth are discolored and decayed, and they need to come out at once.” And she said, “Well, I don’t want to do anything about it right now. I will contact you later.” And she took this problem to God. She refused to let her thought be misdirected by materia medica calling itself dentistry. And she decided that she was going to see the perfect man everywhere. She found a beautiful verse in Song of Solomon which said in essence, “Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep; none of them barren; all perfect.” She began to study Mrs. Eddy’s writings; and she found an interesting fact: That two words were always coupled in Mrs. Eddy’s writings. These words were “discord” and “decay.” As she thought more deeply on it, she realized she needed to go back into her experience, and see that there had never been discord from the moment she appeared on this planet. She needed to wipe out the belief that any discordant situation had ever taken place in her life. And so she did. She worked at this for many months, beholding the perfect child of God everywhere she went, making sure she didn’t see anybody unloving, impatient, sick, or hateful, refusing to let error misdirect her thought. After many months, she went back to the dentist. He examined her and said, “These are not the same teeth,” because they were perfect, bright, and beautiful. And they showed in her mouth as they never had before, and there was not one trace of decay.

Think about it: “Discord” and “decay” always coupled in our Leader’s writings. Go back in your thinking and make sure that you haven’t stored some picture of discord that may have seemed to happen to you in years past, that you aren’t keeping it around where it can spring up and bring forth a nasty picture, one that God never made, that God does not support; and therefore, that with a clear understanding of Him, can be destroyed.

We had a long-distance call this morning from someone who had received our magazine, “Healing Thoughts,” through the mail. They said they were deeply impressed by the content, that it was so full of spiritual power and love. They said the magazine begins simply. The things that first appear are simple and easy to understand. But about halfway through, it turns and becomes profound. They said that the way it had been put together could have been by nothing other than God’s direction and plan. It has been God directing every thing we’ve been doing here. It’s been God upbuilding this church, into a widespread membership of wonderful workers. Let’s put our prayers behind this lovely magazine and know that its blessing is spreading. We’ve had many good reports. It’s going everywhere, blessing and healing.

Our church is made up of God’s ideas claiming their immortal privilege to do as the Bible says, “becoming the repairer of the breach, the restorer of paths to dwell in,” the restorer of Mary Baker Eddy’s pure and wonderful sense of church. This is our God-appointed mission and it’s our God-given right to fulfill it. It’s our God-given joy to walk in this path, with triumph, tenderness, and love. Love opens every door. It heals as nothing else will. As Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health, “The tender word and Christian encouragement of an invalid, pitiful patience with his fears and the removal of them, are better than hecatombs of gushing theories, stereotyped borrowed speeches, and the doling of arguments, which are but so many parodies on legitimate Christian Science, aflame with divine Love.” (p. 367) And also, in the trial, Science and Health tells us, Christian Science (the counsel for Mortal Man, who has been condemned to death in the Court of Error) looks at the patient with utmost tenderness, and brings about his healing. Let’s look at each other with utmost tenderness. And let’s look at the world in the same way. This will heal as nothing else can.

And let’s keep on thanking God for our beloved Leader, Mrs. Eddy, who humbly and faithfully followed God’s direction. In that way we’ll never stray from the right path.




Wherever I am, no matter what I am confronted with, I must see the man God made. And most of all, I must love him.

Doris White Evans


The kingdom of heaven is at hand: Wherever God is, is heaven, and He is everywhere, omnipotent and omnipresent.

Mary Baker Eddy


Those who have turned to the fountainhead of Being for the solution of any problem, have brought such titanic force into intelligent activity, that the results may seem incredible.

Mary Baker Eddy

What Makes a Good Patient?

by

What makes a good patient, a receptive patient, one who can be healed? I’d thought about this for many years as I practiced Christian Science.

When we obtained the First Edition of Science and Health, I discovered that our beloved Leader repeatedly mentions the words “personal sense.” As I pondered this, I began to realize that she was showing us what makes a good patient. A good patient is one who seeks to understand God. A good patient is one who knows that in working with a practitioner, he or she is not coming to a person for healing, but coming to a Christly office. A good patient is one who is willing to drop a personal sense of selfhood apart from God and put themselves, without reservation in God’s hands. It’s one who is willing to release the past. One who has the humility to say, “I’ve tried to work this out myself and I haven’t quite made it. I’m grateful that God has provided a Christly office that can help me. I’m willing to accept the Bible verse which says, ‘he that cometh to God, must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.’ I believe that God is and I know that it’s God who does the work. I can be receptive, and have a complete and thorough healing. A healing that doesn’t have to be dragged out, but is quick, complete and permanent.” The good patient drops a personal sense of himself, personal pride, and listens carefully to God. He has a willingness to get down to brass tacks, to get rid of whatever would stop progress, and go forward doing God’s work.

Thank God for all the strong pioneer hearts who come here, who have been willing to take a stand, putting aside personal sense with all its earth weights, to work for God. Let the winds of error rip! Let them blow! They don’t mean a thing. The Lord God good omnipotent reigneth now and forever.

Burdened Thought

From Sermons and Articles by , originally given in July 1994

Big women ran in my family. My grandmother was big, my mother was big, and after a while, I was big. And I didn’t realize that it was a type of thinking.

Many times an obese condition can be a condition of leaning; leaning on something other than God. I remember in the early years of my marriage, my husband said to me, “Will you please find something besides me to be interested in!” I knew it was God speaking through him, and I did! I found God, and I found Christian Science.

But that wasn’t all of it. I was seriously overweight, and losing weight took work. It took consciously handling this belief of fat. I’d gotten to be a size twenty. I used to look at myself in the mirror from the waist up, and think I looked all right. They say people do that quite often, and don’t realize what the rest of them looks like. But when I realized that I was fat, and that the weight wasn’t going to go away miraculously, overnight, and that I was going to have to change my thinking habits, I turned to God. Three statements came to me that helped immensely. First: When I was hungry, I asked myself, “Is this hunger or is it appetite?” If it was not genuine hunger, then it was appetite, which was merely amusing myself with food, and it was ungodlike. Second: I found that what satisfied me was paraphrasing a verse from Mrs. Eddy’s hymn 30, “Fed by Thy love divine I live.” So, any time I was tempted by false appetite, I declared that I was fed and satisfied by divine Love. The third statement was: God proportions me.

The weight fell off, with ease, and without dieting. Dieting is believing that there’s life and intelligence in matter, and the results are never permanent. With overweight there’s something much deeper that needs to be healed. As I found the weight coming off, I found something else happening. I found that this dear, good husband, with whom I’d been living, was bearing much of the weight of the burden, that I had believed was my own.

As I began to change my thinking, my body naturally began to change. My life became better, so much more joyous, so much freer. I found myself going from a size 20 to a size 8. And that’s obviously the size God wanted me to be, because I’ve stayed there for the last twenty years, without effort, and certainly without attention to calories or food. This healing came about when I learned to lean on God, and not look to any human situation for satisfaction; to put all my trust in Spirit, and to put God first, so that nothing distorted could be part of my experience. I learned that man is neither too fat nor too thin, just normal and natural, as God made him.

I’m grateful, when I think about it today, to realize what a wonderful, natural, easy healing it was. And what a blessing it must have been to my husband, to have gotten rid of someone who was looking to him all the time for what he couldn’t give. It was up to God to give it. And God has, and we have a much happier marriage than we did when I was a burdened mortal.

Christian Science goes into every part of our lives. There isn’t anything inharmonious that can stand when we sincerely desire to know what God thinks about it, and what God wants us to do. God’s thoughts are ever available. They’re all around us. We only have to open our ears and listen to the good and wonderful things that God is saying. Thank God that Mrs. Eddy listened and gave us this wonderful truth, Christian Science.

Glorify God

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Christian Science teaches that God has redeemed us from the cruel and aggressive law of sin and death.

Whatever the problem may be, no matter how big it may seem, it has no power because God has given it none. And if God has not given it power, it cannot exist.

The Bible tells us that God made man in His image and likeness, and that God blessed him. It also tells us to glorify God in our bodies, and it promises that all flesh shall see God’s salvation. It tells us to lift up our eyes, and see God’s love and kindness all around us, and finally, to magnify God’s work.

How do we do this? Before retiring at night, thank God for all the blessings that have come to you in the day. Give Him heartfelt thanks. In the morning when you get up, declare, “This is God’s day. All the events of this day are in God’s hand. He is my loving Father, and gives only good. I believe this with all my heart.”

As you study the Lesson with an open mind, take in the message that God has for you. Don’t ever hurry through it, thinking, “I’m going to read this quickly and then get off to business.” But, sit down quietly and say, “Dear Lord, open my heart to receive Your truth.” And then, as you read the Lesson,listen carefully. Let God speak to you.

The beautiful thing about our Lesson Sermon is, that it meets the need for each one. Whatever your need is, the Lesson Sermon, from the Bible and Science and Health, will meet it.

I find it helpful to take one statement each day from the Bible or Science and Health, write it down, and use it as I go about my business. That’s how I’ve memorized many wonderful Bible verses, and statements from our textbook. Working with them daily, you take them into your heart. It is never mindless repetition. It’s absorbing the truths of God, and letting them become part of your life. When these truths are in your heart, you will find yourself magnifying each good thing that you see, rejoicing in it, and giving God the glory. You will be able to say firmly to anything that isn’t good, God never made you. Get thee hence. You could have no power unless it was given you by God. And since I know God saw everything that He made, and it was good, this cannot be true.

Mrs. Eddy calls evil an illusion. She says on page 495 of the textbook, “When the illusion of sickness or sin tempts you, cling steadfastly to God and His idea. Allow nothing but His likeness to abide in your thought. Let neither fear nor doubt overshadow your clear sense and calm trust, that the recognition of life harmonious — as Life eternally is — can destroy any painful sense of, or belief in, that which Life is not.”

Keep error where it belongs, only an illusion. Don’t think you’re fighting something real, whether it calls itself a sick body, a sick job, a sick economy, or a sick world. God never said it! Therefore it’s not true.

God saw everything that He made, and it was very good. And it continues to be very good, because God’s giving is forever. Nothing can be added to, nor taken away from what God has done. The Bible assures us of this.

Mrs. Eddy says in Science and Health that all bad effects come from a law of so-called mortal mind. A so-called law! There is no such law! Therefore it is false and powerless. We are told to exercise our God-given authority to resist all that is unlike good. God has made us capable of this. As we exercise this authority, and continue to magnify good every day, we will find that we will become stronger, and surer in the Truth.

All evil wants you to do is talk to it, argue with it, and thereby give it reality. But if you refuse to do this, when the voice of error suggests that God is not All, you will be exercising your God-given authority. Then you can demand that evil get hence, as Jesus did. And you’ll feel the very presence and power of God with you, as, in reality, it always has been, and understand that the law of God is operating to bless and heal right now.

God has made everything good. Let’s magnify the good today. See the good in everyone. See the good in your families, in your friends, in those you meet. You’ll be surprised at the wonderful things that will happen when you see people right, and love them as God’s perfect children.

I remember a fine practitioner I worked with as a young girl. I asked her for help because there was someone I couldn’t seem to like. The practitioner said to me, “It is your duty to see him as God’s perfect child. However, you do not have to have this person in your soup.” It was a very helpful thought: I had to see the person as God made him, perfect, but I didn’t have to have him in the middle of my life. I did what she suggested and the troublesome person left my experience, peacefully.

It’s a wonderful freedom Christian Science gives us. The answer to everything is love. Love more; love, love, love. And as we love, we see the glorious universe that God has created, andknow that its perfection is with us forever.

Expect Good

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Are we expecting good? If so, it puts into operation the law of God, good, and brings good into our experience. The Bible tells us of it; certainly the life of Jesus was an example of it. We, in this church, really believe it. That’s the reason this church stands today, and that’s the reason we are dedicated to sending forth the word of God. We’re sending it all over the world, and we’re hearing from new people very regularly who have just discovered that we exist, and are so grateful to find a place where God’s healing love is lived and demonstrated.

So many wonderful things have happened to me in Science. When I was expecting my first child, the medical verdict was that the child could not be delivered naturally, and that it would have to be taken care of in the hospital. I had a really strong practitioner, who helped me to rise in the strength of Spirit to demonstrate the Truth that I had always known. When the delivery day came, the belief was that there had to be an operation. But I had absolute trust in God. One of the things I worked with was a hymn of Mrs. Eddy’s:

Strongest deliverer, friend of the friendless,
Life of all being divine:
Thou the Christ, and not the creed;
Thou the Truth in thought and deed;
Thou the water, the bread, and the wine.

Needless to say, the birth was natural, peaceful, and right, and a lovely little girl came forth.

When the human mind says “no,” we’ve learned to say, “God, what do You say?” And when God says, “yes,” that’s what we listen to. That has brought about a happy life, with so many opportunities to serve God and to live the Truth — not just now and then, but every moment. And when I did that, people came for healing; and one by one, they were all healed. There were other practitioners in the church, but they were inactive and were not expecting healing, and consequently, healing didn’t take place.

Mrs. Eddy says that sin beclouds our spiritual sense of Truth. That impressed me so. I don’t want my thought beclouded. If I’m doing anything, Father, that is not in obedience to You, show me, and I will stop at once, because I seek to obey Your will and Your law. That’s what we’re all here for, to know and do the will of God.

Mrs. Eddy also talks about getting rid of the hidden things of dishonesty. Be honest with yourself. Don’t fool yourself. If you’re doing something that you know isn’t right, don’t make excuses, just give it to God. Trust Him with it, but don’t hide it, because things that stay hidden grow larger and larger. Mrs. Eddy says, “Evil let alone grows more real, aggressive, and enlarges its claims; but, met with Science, it can and will be mastered by Science.” (Mis.)

So, expect good, believe in the law of the Lord, because His law is good, it is not variable, it is never wrong, it is never unkind. It is the law of Love. So let’s love; love everything and everybody you see. It really works. It’s a great thing, and it puts God’s law into operation in your life, and things get better and better.

Thank God for this truth that we have, and that we are living, with sincerity, every moment. Don’t turn it on and off; if you do, you’re inviting something you don’t want. So keep the law of the Lord in your heart. It’s a wonderful way to live. It’s God’s law of love and joy, and it will never fail.

Everlasting Punishment?

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I often wondered what caused Mrs. Eddy to title a Lesson Sermon, “Everlasting Punishment.” Then I saw her great wisdom. The world believes in a God of wrath, old theology teaches it — vengeance and punishment for misdeeds. Listening carefully to God, Mrs. Eddy gave us this Lesson, of which the real title is, “Everlasting Love.”

The Bible tells us: “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” This is a wonderful statement. What does God require of us? To do justly, love mercy, walk humbly with thy God.

What does “do justly” mean to us? When wrong thoughts come along to tempt us to criticize or judge another, and to act unjustly toward that person and not according to our highest sense of right, put that error out. Don’t forget, God loves all of us. Be alive to Christ’s demands. Remember to keep the Commandments. The Bible says, “Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee.” An everlasting love. We are assured that God holds us in that love, and that we cannot stray from the straight and narrow path. Be unreceptive to the thoughts that tempt us to do so, and be vigorous in putting them out!

“Love mercy.” Are we forgiving those who may have wronged us? We carry a heavy burden if we don’t forgive. Never hold a grudge. It’s dangerous and leads to more error, and we don’t have time for such things. Never judge anyone.We’re all working out our own salvation, and we’re doing it in wonderfully different ways. The way one person does this may be quite different from the way another would. But it’s not to say that either is wrong. Be so busy doing right that you have no time to meddle in someone else’s life. Let them work things out in God’s own righteous way.

We enter the kingdom of heaven by willingly and humbly doing God’s will. There is no other way. God is nearer than the air we breathe. When we have something to do, rather than rush into it, say, “Father, is this how You would have me do things?” That’s how we find the kingdom of God, by not letting human will take over so that we run around making unpleasant mistakes, because we just didn’t take the time to ask our Father, who loves us so very much.

Mrs. Eddy writes, “Divine Mind rightly demands man’s entire obedience, affection, and strength. No reservation is made for any lesser loyalty.” No reservation about obeying God. We’re either going to do it, or we’re not. If we do, the doors of heaven open, and good pours out from every direction. If we foolishly withhold our obedience to God, we stumble, have unnecessary problems that we wouldn’t have to have if we would let God govern our lives. Trust Him, love Him, and obey His laws.

Science and Health states: “Obedience to Truth gives power and strength. Submission to error superinduces loss of power.” Obey God; it’s as simple as that. God loves us, God is Love. If we’re faithful and do the best we know how, God requires only what we are able to do at this moment. One of our hymns says, “The distant scene I cannot see, one step enough for me.” One step at a time. Here I am, Father; show me Your will. Let everything I do be done with love, in loving obedience to You; and I obey You. I can trust that You will make my way perfect.

Eve and the Serpent

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The Bible teaches many valuable lessons. The Old Testament tells of a people who continually made mistakes. It begins in Genesis with Adam and Eve. In this little fable, Eve was in the Garden of Eden, and God told her, “Don’t eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.” Eve accepted this. But, then, along came a friendly, charming serpent, who said to her, in a confidential tone, “Eve, did God really say you shouldn’t eat the fruit of the garden?” And that’s where Eve made her first big mistake. Instead of saying, vigorously, “Yes, God did say that! Get out of here! You’re up to no good, and I won’t listen!”, she turned, and doubted her ability to hear God’s voice. The serpent continued talking, knowing that she was listening and, therefore, partially mesmerized. It then became more aggressive, and ended boldly saying, “Who is your God anyway? Is He really all-powerful? Do you have to obey Him?”

This is what mesmerism is all about. The serpent mesmerized Eve, because she stopped to listen to it. She should have resisted immediately. And where did Eve finally find herself? Spiritually naked, outside the Garden of Eden, stripped of all the good she had been given. Well, frankly, I don’t think any of us want to find ourselves in that position.

This story is an object lesson for mankind. When the serpent voice begins to whisper, “Who do you think you are? You’re not much good. You may have done something right once, but next time you’ll fail. God doesn’t even know you.” Don’t listen! Put it out! Put it out! The first whisperings of the serpent may not seem too bad, but as they go on, they get worse. So why let it start, and take the chance of being mesmerized by some scurrilous lie?

Who’s talking, when you hear a negative suggestion? Is it God who loves you? I think not. When you hear this negative conversation about yourself, or about someone you’re associated with, put it out! It wants you to think wrongly about things, because it’s a well known fact that we receive what we believe. Let’s refuse to be victims. God has given us dominion, and the power to overcome these lies.

These Old Testament stories are examples for us of the unreliability of the human mind, and show the mistakes that it can make. The remedy for this, is Christian Science. The truth about these Bible stories is revealed in Mrs. Eddy’s book, Science and Health. It teaches us that we are God’s children, created for His glory. We are not mortals, condemned to suffer.

The power of God is great enough to bring any wall of error down. Mrs. Eddy says, “Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, — hence its unreality.” (S&H p. 525) This helpful statement annuls evil’s rantings.

Don’t listen to the serpent voice that tells you, “I’m just one. What can I do?” One with God is a majority. You can do everything, if you will line yourself up with Him, let Him be the power, trust Him, hold fast to good; and never give up. Often when we are on the verge of winning, error will say, “Give up.” And that’s the very time to put it out! Keep on keeping on, and tell error where to go! God gives us the victory, here and now.

Mrs. Eddy gives us a wonderful promise in Miscellaneous Writings: “He who has named the name of Christ, who has virtually accepted the divine claims of Truth and Love in divine Science, is daily departing from evil; and all the wicked endeavors of suppositional demons can never change the current of that life from steadfastly flowing on to God, its divine source.” (p. 19).

Love is the liberator.